Oakdale City Council members spent nearly two hours at their May 2 meeting hearing concerns and discussing a proposed long-term lease at the Oakdale Municipal Airport, also known as Dan Donnelly Field, involving an existing tenant as local pilots spoke out against the approval.

During the closed session of the Oak Valley Hospital Board meeting on April 27, voting members agreed to extend the contract of Oak Valley Hospital CEO John Friel until February 2012 to ensure the efficient transition into the hospital's new building.

Beautiful Day, a ministry of Living Hope Christian Fellowship is back. Citizen's Cemetery is in need of some tender loving care again. Last year, nearly 150 people entered through the gates of the cemetery and did not leave until the entire cemetery was well-groomed. There were rakes, shovels, hand tools, weed whackers, power washers, mowers of all sizes, paint sprayers and brushes, all flying in every direction. Many hands delicately washed the head stones.

Ever since his felony marijuana possession and sales charges were dismissed, former proprietor of the Oakdale Natural Choice Collective, Addison DeMoura has been battling with the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department for the return of his property, including 35 pounds of marijuana, cash, and growing paraphernalia.

During the closed session of the Oak Valley Hospital Board on April 27, voting members agreed to extend the contract of Oak Valley Hospital CEO John Friel until February 2012 to ensure the efficient transition into the hospital's new building.

Board President Wendell Chun, in a prepared statement, said the governing body believed Friel should continue leading the organization through the critical conversion phase and was recommending the extension of his CEO contract through February 2012. Chun added the board was prepared to work closely with Friel throughout the process.

In a surprising move, the Oakdale City Council voted 4-0, with Katherine Morgan unavailable to attend, to release City Manager Steve Hallam during a closed session special noontime meeting on Monday, April 25. Earlier this month, Oakdale Deputy Director of Public Works and Airport Manager David Myers was placed on paid administrative leave pending a hearing date, leaving his employment with the city in question.

When arriving at the Oakdale Municipal Airport, one of the first sights off Laughlin Road is a line of empty trucking trailers lining the north perimeter of the facility. From the parking lot, dilapidated and parted out airplanes from another era rest on the tarmac like discarded cars parked on front lawns of low rent neighborhoods. Behind the newer hangars, sit construction equipment, company vehicles, and supplies of a local construction company owner as a storage perk due to his tenancy. Airport offices are shells even though they announce services as a lounge, mechanic, rentals, and instruction.

Eight-year-old Gannon Dial, a student at Sierra View Elementary School, has suffered from epilepsy since he was two and has anywhere from 20 to 30 seizures a day. After the failure of numerous medications and other modalities to control his seizures, he has been scheduled to undergo brain surgery on May 4.

The naming of members to an ad hoc committee that will be exploring a possible sales tax increase generated a plethora of community speakers ranging in disagreement from the proper name of the committee to the opposition of imposing a temporary sales tax increase in the city.

Some area senior citizens are protesting plans to build a 70-foot cell phone tower in the northwest part of Oakdale at a meeting hastily called by seniors, the Community Development Department and AT &T Mobility Company.

U.S. Representative Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) introduced a bill on Wednesday, Jan. 14 to lessen the burden on disabled veterans by extending military commissary and exchange store privileges to former service members and their families.

The Bacigalupi family is well known throughout the Oakdale area. Not only for the infamous H-B Saloon on F Street, but also for their philanthropy including sponsoring the Cowboy Golf Tournament, the annual AFC-NFC Championship Tailgate Party to benefit local causes, donations to Spirit of Oakdale, Community Sharing, the Lions Club Children's Christmas Shopping Tour and several contributions to Oakdale High School sports.

Life is not being wasted on Bill and Joanne Parker. At the ages of 85 (Bill) and 84 (Joanne), this couple did not wait for New Year's Day to make a resolution or begin a new health plan. On Jan. 2, 2015 the couple could be found in the same place they were on Dec. 31, 2014 … putting in some time at Fitness Plus in Oakdale.

Like many families do, the 'family' of kids, parents and teachers at The Learning Tree Preschool in Oakdale recently completed their holiday 'Gingerbread House' craft making activity, with the children able to take home their sweet treats to display (or eat) over the holidays. Following are some photos from the special craft day.

Law enforcement fatalities in the U.S. rose 24 percent in 2014, reversing what had been two years of dramatic declines in line of duty deaths, based on preliminary data compiled and released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF).